Israeli soldiers deployed in the Kfar Shouba Hills area near Lebanon's southern border took shelter behind concrete barriers Wednesday, fearing reprisal attacks linked to Israel's ongoing offensive in the Gaza Strip.
There were no visible presence of Israeli troops along the eastern sector of the border with Lebanon, which stretches from the well-known Abbas Hill all the way to Kfar Shouba.
While the state-run National News Agency reported that Israeli troops went on alert Wednesday, a Lebanese security source told The Daily Star that there was no unusual movement along the Israeli side of the border with Lebanon.
Israel has launched a major offensive on the Gaza Strip, in response to increasing rocket fire from the coastal territory. Since Tuesday, Israel has bombed at least 430 sites in the Palestinian territory, while Hamas has launched a series of rockets into the Jewish state, including five that were shot down over Tel Aviv by Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system. Israel has massed tens of thousands of troops on the border with Gaza, in preparation for a possible ground invasion.
Since the 2006 war between Israel and Lebanon, which remain in a state of war, there have been sporadic rocket attacks launched by militants groups over the southern border.
